The Macallan Rare Cask is a NAS whisky experiment from The Macallan that utilizes only sherry casks. It’s often reported that they only use first fill sherry casks to make the Rare Cask, but that’s not completely accurate and we don’t have to look any further than The Macallan’s website to get that info.
“RARE CASK has been crafted from only handpicked sherry seasoned oak casks, some of the most precious and scarce in Single Malt Whisky, with an exceptionally high proportion of them being first fill. The Macallan’s wood policy is unrivalled and it is this commitment to sourcing the industry’s finest, most expensive and exclusive casks that has given rise to RARE CASK, an exquisite whisky with a splendidly rich and resonant hue.
Each cask responsible for creating this naturally vibrant whisky has been hand selected by The Macallan’s Master Whisky Maker, Bob Dalgarno. Using his in-depth knowledge of the thousands of casks we have maturing at our distillery, he has taken time to distinguish the chosen few that can deliver this intensity of character; these chosen few represent less than 1% of the casks maturing at The Macallan. Coupled with The Macallan’s commitment to natural color we have created a tantalising single malt which sees Spanish oak pique the nose before admitting rich dried fruits and an edgy trickle of treacle.”
The blending of various casks of various ages and refills is why it’s a No Age Statement (NAS) whisky which I have nothing against so long as the aroma and the palate match the price and you get what you’re paying for. The sad thing is, more often than not it seems, you’re getting swindled and NAS is just an excuse for the company to push out whisky as fast as they can to see what suckers customers will pay for, but that’s a rant for another time. On to The Macallan Rare Cask review!
The Macallan Rare Cask Info
Region: Speyside, Scotland
Distiller: The Macallan
Mashbill: 100% malted barley
Cask: First-fill sherry
Age: NAS
ABV: 43%
Price: $300
The Macallan Rare Cask Review
EYE
Tea
NOSE
Malt, sherried sweetness, dried dark fruit and a cocoa powder move through first followed by lighter notes of caramel butterscotch, candied citrus and spice. There is an oily character to the nose that’s throwing me off a bit and the best I can describe it as is a dark fruity oil.
PALATE
Darkly sweet and layered with notes of dried fruit, caramel, iodine, butterscotch, sherry sweetness, overripe bananas and cocoa powder. Again that oily character comes through and coats the palate. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s also not pleasant.
FINISH
Long, darkly sweet and oily with notes of overripe fruit and sweet maltiness. The fade becomes a bit cloying after about a minute.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Moderate balace, medium body and a warm oily feel.
OVERALL
The Macallan Rare Cask is disappointing. There’s a strange oily character that runs through the whole whisky and I don’t mean that in the good kind of oily you get with a cask strength Non-Chill Filtered whisky. It’s more like a cooking oil made from dark fruit kind of a thing. I know that sounds weird, but that’s the best I can do to describe it.
If I had been given this blind and was asked how much I’d pay for it I’d say about $40-$50 because at that price it would be a well priced sipping whisky with some decent sherry influence. However, the reality of The Macallan Rare Cask is that it costs $300 and and to justify that price the marketing behind it touts that it’s “been crafted from only handpicked sherry seasoned oak casks…” “…with an exceptionally high proportion of them being first fill”, but I just don’t buy it. I’ve have some incredible first-fill sherry cask whisky in my time (the Macallan CS being one of them) and more often than not they’re dynamic whiskies. This is sluggish and ho-hum. I really had bigger hopes for this one and for me this is a complete miss at its price.
SCORE: 84/100
